Filing cabinet drawer latch selector



N 1963 c. R. WATTS ETAL FILING CABINET DRAWER LATCH SELECTOR Filed June 29, 1962 MQZUM PATENT AGENT United States Patent FILING CABINET DRAWER LATCH SELECTOR Clarence R. Watts, 348 Crestview St., and Gordon A. Carson, RR. 2, both of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Filed June 29, 1962, Ser. No. 206,479 2 Claims. (Cl. 312-215) This invention relates to filing cabinets.

Cabinets for file folders of letter and foolscap sizes are in extremely widespread use. Such cabinets, as in present day use, include a latching device as well as a pull for each individual drawer of the cabinet. If a lock is required, separate locking means may be provided.

It is an object of this invention to provide a filing cabinet, which has a simplified drawer latching mechanism of reduced cost, greater eifectiveness and increased convenience of operation, which has a simple drawer ejecting device eliminating the use of pulls, which may be readily and inexpensively provided with drawer locking means, which is of more compact form whereby it requires less storage and operational space, and which is of reduced overall cost.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description with particular reference to the accompanying drawing, in which- FIGURE 1 is :a perspective view of a filing cabinet in accordance with the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a partial plan view, partly in section, of the cabinet,

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a modified form of latch mounting plate,

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a latch device,

FIGURE 5 is a sectional side elevation of a file drawer and associated portion of the cabinet, and

FIGURE 6 is a section on line 6-6 of FIGURE 2.

Referring to the drawings, the basic structural elements of the filing cabinet 1 may be manufactured in conventional form from standard materials such as sheet metal or the like. Thus, the cabinet comprises albase wall 2, side walls 3, a rear wall 4, top wall 5, and a forward wall 6 having openings 7 in each of which is mounted a drawer 8. Drawer 8 is of basic conventional manufacture and has the usual forward wall 9 with inner spaced plate 10 fixed thereto, side walls 11, and rear wall 12.

The forward wall 6 of the cabinet has the usual top panel 13.

The latch mechanism of the present invention comprises a latch bar 14 for each drawer 8, such latch bar being pivotally mounted at 15 on one side Wall 3. The latch bar may be conveniently disposed within a housing 16 fixed to side wall 3. The forward end of the latch bar projects through an opening 17 in the housing and through an opening or aperture 18 in the drawer plate 10 whereby the latch book 19 may engage the edge of the aperture in the plate and thus retain the drawer in closed position as shown in FIGURE 4. Means urging the latch bar into drawer retaining or latching position comprises a spring 20 having one end connected to the housing 16 and its other end connected to the latch bar rearwardly of the pivot 15. The spring 20 urges the rearward edge portion of latch bar 14 into engagement with the housing edge portion 16a which defines an opening 16b through which the rearward end of the latch bar projects.

Means for unlatching each latch bar comprises a flexible line 21, such as a cable or the like, having one end connected to the rearward end of the latch bar. The line 21 is directed in an upward substantially perpendicular direction with respect to the latch bar through an eye 22 formed in a bracket 23 which may be fixed to the adjacent side Wall 3. Each eye 22 may be lined with a 3,109,686 Patented Nov. 5, 1963 "ice friction-reducing ring of a material such as glass, plastic composition, or the like.

The other end of each line 21 is connected to the inner end of a rod 25 slidably or reciprocally mounted in a bracket 26 fixed to the panel 13 of forward wall 6 and a second bracket 27 fixed to the top wall 5. Each rod is provided with a head or push button 28 which projects through an aperture 29 in the panel 13. Each rod is also biased into drawer latching position by a spring 39 interposed between bracket 26 and the inner end of the push button.

As shown, the push buttons 28 and rods 25 are transversely aligned. Thus, the buttons are arranged in a generally horizontal row in panel 13. Preferably also, the buttons and rods are arranged closely adjacent the side wall 3 on which the described associated elements of the latch mechanism are disposed.

The brackets 27 may be conveniently formed on a mounting plate 31 which in turn is fixed to the top wall 5.

In the modification shown, the eyes 22 are arranged in an aligned row in bracket 23, such row being parallel and closely adjacent to the adjacent side wall 3. The rods 25 are of different lengths roughly corresponding to the position of the respective eyes 22 whereby each of the shorter rods terminates forwardly of the line connecting the next adjacent longer rod with an eye 22.

It will be apparent that each line 21 extends perpendicularly from a latch bar 14 and then angularly and in a normally horizontal plane (parallel to top wall 5) to the end of a rod 25.

Additional guide means, such as eyes 32, for the lines may be provided.

It will be apparent that each eye 32 may also be lined with a friction-reducing or friction-resistant ring 33. Furthermore, the bearing surfaces in contact with rods 25 may also be for-med of or provided with any suitable friction-reducing material.

Means are provided for imparting a slight ejecting force to each drawer 8 when placed in unlatched condition, and comprises a plurality of springs 34 mounted on rear wall 4 and each in compressive engagement with the outer surface of rear wall 12 of a drawer 8 when in closed position.

It will be apparent that when it is desired to open any of the latched drawers 8, one simply presses a respective one of buttons 28 which action unlatches the drawer, whereupon the associated spring 34 moves the drawer forwardly, say, one or two inches, to enable the operator to grasp the top edge of the forward wall 9 and move the drawer into desired open position.

It will be appreciated that the latching mechanism described does not require any increase in the general dimensions of the cabinet casing since the latch bars 14 and associated elements require a very small amount of lateral space (normally less than an inch) and may be readily accommodated in the normal clearance space in the cabinet at the sides of the drawers. Likewise, the push rods 25 and associated elements are located in the normal clearance space at the top of the cabinet and the conventional top panel 13 is of quite sufficient Width to accommodate reception of the push buttons 28.

Furthermore, a most important feature of the invention resides in the fact that drawer pulls are not required and therefore may be eliminated. As shown in FIGURE 2, the portion of panel 13 in which the push buttons are located is recessed at 13a to accommodate the locking mechanism whereby the cabinet front is completely free of protubenances, that is, it presents a flat, flush surface. To this end, moreover, the minor head portion of the conventional guide rod 35 is also eliminated. As shown in FIGURE 5, the rod 35 is releasably fixed in position by means of a clamp 45 which comprises a pin 46 screw- 3 threadedly mounted in a rearwardly extending flange 47 of forward wall 9. Pin 46 has a seat member 48 swivel ly mounted thereon, such seat member having a plurality of notches 49 therein to receive a portion of rod 35 whereby the latter may be clamped between seat member 48 and a flanged edge 50 of plate It will be apparent that the pin 46 may be screwed into and out of clamping position as desired.

FIGURE 3 illustrates a slightly modified form of mounting plate 36 which may be employed in lieu of plate 31. The plate 36 is illustrative of a very inexpensive type of support 'for rods 25 and lines 21. As shown, !2|. plurality of ears 37 are struck out of the plate, each ear having an aperture 38 for reception of a rod 25. Adjacently positioned ears 3-9 are also struck out of the plate, each of such cars 39 having an aperture 4! for passage of a line 211.

'A most important feature of the invention resides in the provision of cabinet locking means having a closely associated relation with the latching mechanism described. As shown, a locking plate 41 is slidably mounted in a pair of opposed tracks 42r mounted on panel 13, .one immediately above and one immediately below the row of push buttons 28. Each track 42 has a groove 43 for reception of an edge portion of the locking plate. As shown in FIGURE 2, the locking plate 41 may be slid into overlying relation to the row of push buttons to fully conceal and enclose the heads of the buttons and render them inaccessible for unlatching actuation except upon retraction of the plate 41 to expose the push button heads. A lock 44 of conventional form is provided to lock the plate 41 in closed or button overlying position.

It will be apparent that the locking means described is not only susceptible of easy and low cost manufacture but it may be incorporated in the cabinet in a rapid, convenient, and inexpensive manner.

We claim:

1. In a filing cabinet having top, bottom, forward, rear, and side walls, and a plurality of drawers slidably mounted therein, each'said drawer having a forward wall and a rear wall, said cabinet forward wall having openings for said drawers, a latching mechanism therefor 4 comprising a plurality of latch bars pivotally mounted on one of said cabinet side walls, each said latch bar being located in laterally opposed relation to one of said drawers, each said drawer having a portion engageable by one of said latch bars in the closed position of said drawer to retain it in said closed position, means releasably unging each said latch bar into latching position, and means for moving each said latch bar into unlatched position comprising a flexible line having one end connected to said latch bar, said cabinet forward wall having a recessed portion adjacent said cabinet top wall, a push rod slidably mounted in said recessed wall portion and having a head at one end thereof and its other end connected to the other end of said flexible line, said cabinet forward wall having apertures therein each receiving one of said push rod heads, said push rod heads being disposed in an aligned row having an axis parallel to said cabinet top wall, said push rod [heads in all positions thereof being disposed inwardly of the plane of said cabinet (forward wall, said push rods being varyingly spaced from said one side wall of said cabinet and being of gradually increased lengths, guide means for each of said flexible lines, and drawer ejecting means comprising a spring mounted on said cabinet rear wall in opposed disconnected relation to each of said drawer rear walls, each said spring being compressively engageable'by one of said drawers in the closed position thereof.

2. batching mechanism for a filing cabinet as defined in claim 1, and locking means for said drawers ,cornpris ing a track disposed above and below said row, a locking plate slid-ably mounted in said tracks and being slidable into overlying relation to said push rod heads, and means for locking said locking plate in said overlying relation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. IN A FILING CABINET HAVING TOP, BOTTOM, FORWARD, REAR, AND SIDE WALLS, AND A PLURALITY OF DRAWERS SLIDABLY MOUNTED THEREIN, EACH SAID DRAWER HAVING A FORWARD WALL AND A REAR WALL, SAID CABINET FORWARD WALL HAVING OPENINGS FOR SAID DRAWERS, A LATCHING MECHANISM THEREFOR COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF LATCH BARS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON ONE OF SAID CABINET SIDE WALLS, EACH SAID LATCH BAR BEING LOCATED IN LATERALLY OPPOSED RELATION TO ONE OF SAID DRAWERS, EACH SAID DRAWER HAVING A PORTION ENGAGEABLE BY ONE OF SAID LATCH BARS IN THE CLOSED POSITION OF SAID DRAWER TO RETAIN IT IN SAID CLOSED POSITION, MEANS RELEASABLY URGING EACH SAID LATCH BAR INTO LATCHING POSITION, AND MEANS FOR MOVING EACH SAID LATCH BAR INTO UNLATCHED POSITION COMPRISING A FLEXIBLE LINE HAVING ONE END CONNECTED TO SAID LATCH BAR, SAID CABINET FORWARD WALL HAVING A RECESSED PORTION ADJACENT SAID CABINET TOP WALL, A PUSH ROD SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID RECESSED WALL PORTION AND HAVING A HEAD AT ONE END THEREOF AND ITS OTHER END CONNECTED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID FLEXIBLE LINE, SAID CABINET FORWARD 